November 9, 2009

A call for transparency in the federal government was floated Friday -- not by President Barak Obama, who promised the most transparent administration in history -- but by a Republican member of Congress. Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) made the call during Friday’s meeting of the House Committee on Rules.

The committee – which crafted the rules that shaped the debate and vote on the House Democrats’ health care bill this weekend – meets in one of the smaller rooms in the Capitol.

“There’s a reason you all meet in the crowded little room on the third floor – to keep people out,” Dreier, the committee's ranking member, said he has heard about the usually camera-free committee meeting...

During the meeting, Dreier suggested to Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) that the chairwoman should ask that cameras be permanently installed in the room. Dreier said it would provide “an opportunity for the American people to see what takes place in this committee.”